


Hide and Seek

by CelticKnot



Series: Mass Effect Fictober 2019 [13]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types
Genre: Family Fluff, Fictober 2019, Gen, MEFFictober2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 03:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21029498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticKnot/pseuds/CelticKnot
Summary: MEFFictober prompt: War stories. Deena's young daughter has questions about her past. A bit of a preview of things to come for readers of "Penumbra."





	Hide and Seek

Deena planted her hands on her hips and turned in place, looking around. “Hmm,” she said loudly. “I wonder where Caia has gone?”

A child’s giggle emanated from her closet. Deena ignored it. “Is she… under the bed?” She made a show of peering underneath the bedframe amongst the storage boxes. “Nope, not here. Maybe she’s… in the bathroom?” She inspected the bathroom with exaggerated curiosity. “No, she’s not here either. Wherever could she be?”

More giggles. Little Caia just couldn’t contain herself any longer. “I’m in here, Mama!”

Deena gasped. “I think I hear my Caia!” She approached the closet slowly as Caia’s giggles turned into full-blown laughter. She threw the door open to find her six-year-old crouched on the floor, squealing with joy. “There you are!” she cried, scooping her up and spinning her around. She hugged Caia close and kissed her cheek. “I found you!”

Caia squirmed, still laughing. “Put me down, Mama!”

Giving her one last squeeze, Deena set her on her feet. That was when she noticed something clutched in Caia’s little hand. “What have you got there,  _ ashi?” _

“I don’t know.” Caia held out the object to Deena. “What is it, Mama?”

Deena’s eves widened as she took the red and gold badge. “By the Goddess,” she breathed, chuckling incredulously. “It’s my old unit insignia!”

“What’s a noonit ’siggia?”

“Unit insignia,” Deena repeated slowly, enunciating each syllable clearly. “Mama used to be a commando, a little more than a hundred years ago.”

“Wow!” Caia stared at her with wide, worshipful eyes. “You fighted?”

“Well, no, not really,” Deena admitted. “Not while I was in.”

Caia’s face fell. “Oh.”

It was almost funny. Caia had no idea what she was saying, what it was like to be a soldier. All she knew was that her mother hadn’t lived the adventures she’d imagined. “I did see some action, right before you were born,” she said. “I’ll tell you all about it one day, when you’re older.”

“You went back?”

“To the military? No.” Deena shook her head. “It was with your father.”


End file.
